For veterans' sake, extend S53 bus line to the Brooklyn VA hospital

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York) visited the Marine Corps League in Sunnyside last month to advocate for an increased VA presence on Staten Island. In the background is Lee Covino, veterans affairs advisor to Borough President James P. Molinaro, who has been a longtime advocate of extending bus service to Brooklyn's VA hospital.Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- For years, veterans on Staten Island have had to do without public transportation directly to the Brooklyn Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital.

Now their plight is even worse following Hurricane Sandy.

The storm forced the closing for repairs of the Manhattan VA hospital at First Avenue and 23rd St., which many Island vets had been using as an alternative for care.

Though it's farther away than the Bay Ridge facility, the Manhattan site, accessible via ferry, subway and bus, was actually a more convenient choice for many ailing vets.

For outpatient services, elective surgery and other procedures, over 2,000 Staten Island veterans had been going to the Manhattan VA hospital. Almost 4,000 Island vets receive regular health care at the Brooklyn VA hospital.

The Bay Ridge site isn't easy to get to, however.

The only mass-transit link has been via the S53 bus route from Staten Island to Brooklyn (before similar service began on the S79). But the last stop on the S53 is several blocks from the VA hospital.

To cover the final half a mile, veterans — including those who are ill or disabled — must switch to the B70 bus, which does stop at the facility in Bay Ridge.

The solution?

It's easy, according to Lee Covino, the veterans affairs advisor in the borough president's office.

He has been urging the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for a long time to extend the S53 bus route a couple of blocks to reach the VA hospital.

"Currently, Brooklyn buses already use the VA to 'turn around,' so it wouldn't be a problem for the S53 to also do so," points out Mr. Covino,

But the Metropolitan Transportation Authority refuses. It claims that extending the route by half a mile would interfere with service for most riders to and from the 86th Street R subway station and shopping nearby.

We agree. The MTA ought urgently to reconsider and extend the S53 bus all the way to the VA hospital.

As Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said: "The temporary closing of the Manhattan VA Hospital has placed a heavy burden on the veterans across Staten Island who rely on it for medical services. To travel from Staten Island to the Brooklyn VA Hospital, many veterans must trek on at least three buses and pay double because of the extra transfer."

He added, "That's why I have urged the MTA to extend the S53 bus line to terminate at the Brooklyn VA Hospital. This simple move would ensure Staten Island veterans an easier and less costly commute to the medical services they need."

Mr. Schumer also has asked the MTA to let vets from Staten Island switch to the B70 for free (something that riders on the S79 can do because they receive an extra transfer).